Steely Dan has glimpsed the
apocalypse just ahead, and of course that puts the guys in a merry mood. "I move
to dissolve the corporation / In a pool of margaritas," suggests Donald Fagen on
the title track of this new CD. On "Blues Beach," a cheery-sounding boogaloo fit
for a frat party, he declares: "Things may get a whole lot worse / Before
suddenly falling apart."

Keyboardist-singer Fagen and his copilot, guitarist Walter Becker, are cruising
comfily through their fourth decade of Dandom. They're the Coen brothers of
rock -- wisenheimer wonder boys who win us over with their complete mastery
of craft, even as they keep us at arm's length. This album improves on its
immediate predecessor, "Two Against Nature" (2000): It's leaner, lighter on its
feet. Lively tempos predominate, the arrangements are soaked in funk, and
pleasant harmonic surprises underlie the melodies. As always, the lyrics are
packed with vaguely sinister details, but much of the story is tantalizingly
withheld. We hear mentions of Gina and Trina and Yvonne, of Abu and Slinky
Redfoot and Dave from Acquisitions, but we never quite meet them. Maybe we're
better off that way.

"Everything Must Go" displays those smarty-pants Fagen and Becker at the top of
their snarky game. Their work may not appeal to the heart, but the brain and the
feet love it. Improbably, the Dan abides.